08/31/2012

Meet Your Ancient Relatives — The Denisovans

Denisova molar, distal. Image courtesy of Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Denisova molar, distal. Image courtesy of Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology

Reporting in Science, researchers write of sequencing the genome of a young Denisovan girl—an archaic human distantly related to Neanderthals and modern humans. Geneticist David Reich discusses the tale the genome tells about the Denisovan people and their interactions with modern humans.

Segment Guests

David Reich

David Reich is a genetics professor at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts.

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About Christopher Intagliata

Christopher Intagliata was Science Friday’s senior producer. He once served as a prop in an optical illusion and speaks passable Ira Flatowese.